Early Vevay By PERRETDUFOUR (Continued) The associate judges who were by the laws in force in Indiana territory authorized to transact the county business, such as causing roads and highways to be laid out, opened and kept in repair, and also the appointment of overseers of the roads, and assigning the hands to each supervisor, the appointment of all township officers except justices of the peace were also authorized to transact business pertaining to decedents’ estates granting licenses for keeping taverns, and establishing rates to be charged by tavern keepers, had a great deal of business pertaining to opening highways to attend to for the first year or two. To entitle a person to obtain a license to keep tavern he was compelled by the law to have the petition of a certain number of persons praying the court to grant the license, and also to prove to the satisfaction of the court that he was a person of good moral character, and that he had a certain number of extra beds and extra stable room for keep- ing horses. If the person applying for such tavern license proved to the satisfaction of the court that he had the char- acter, extra beds and Stable room required by the law, license was granted him, and he was required to enter into bond with security to keep his said tavern as required by law. Philo Averil was the first person to obtain license to keep a tavern in Vevay. He obtained license on the 24th of No- vember, 1814, and on the 25th of November, 1814, the court established the following rates to be charged by tavern keepers in the county of Switzerland. For a meal of victuals, 25 cents; for lodging, per night, 123 cents; for corn or oats, per gallon, 12+ cents; for horse at hay, per twenty-four hours, 25 cents; for whisky, per half pint, 124 cents; for peach brandy, per half pint, 124 cents; for Holland gin, French brandy and Jamaica spirits, 50 cents; for rum, per half pint, 373 cents; for imported Rladeria wine, per Dzcfour.: Early Vevay 195 quart, $2; for Switzerland Maderia wine, per quart or bottle, $1; for Switzerland red wine, per quart or bottle, 75 cents; for domestic gin and cherry bounce, per half pint, 18%cents. In March, 1815, license was granted to William Cooper to keep a tavern in Vevay. On the 30th of March, 1835, a license was granted to Peter Harris to keep a tavern at his house in this county, a:id in November, 1815, he laid out the town of Jacksonville. In September, 1815, license was granted to “Uncle” Thomas Armstrong (as he was familiarly called), to keep a tavern in the town of Vevay for one year from the first day of July, 1815, he having entered into bond with security at that time. This was, in fact, the first tavern established in Vevay with the ostensible purpose in view of entertaining travelers, for let it be borne in mind that at that time “tippling houses” were unknown in this new country, as by the laws of force, none but tavern keepers were permitted to sell liquor by the small or, as was their usual expression, “by the half pint”. In some instances the laws were evaded and persons ob- tained license to keep a tavern who had not the requisite number of extra beds and the extra stable room. This law was in force for some years under the state government. On one occasion a person, to obtain license, borrowed three beds of his neighbors and set them up in his house, which was a small one, and rented of a neighbor a stable on an adjoining lot for one month, and when the county court niet he pro- duced his proof and proved to the satisfaction of the court that he had the requisite number of extra beds and extra stable room to accommodate the number of travelers and their horses that the territorial law required and obtained a tavern license. Some few days afterward this tavern had no extra beds and soon afterwards no extra stable room, for he had returned the borrowed beds and given up the rented stable, but having the license he continued to sell spiritous and other liquors by the haif pint. This circumstance is here related to show that the laws relating to the retail of spiritous liquor were violated in those early days of Switzerland county, as well as in the days that are within the remembrance of many of our young men. ‘‘Uncle” Thomas Armstrong kept his first tavern in a two story log house that stood on the corner of Main and Union streets on the lot on which John F. Doan has erected his new frame dwelling; and continued there until he built his new frame building on Market street, being the house now owned and occupied by John L. Thiebaud. The relation of an anecdote in which “Uncle Thomas” was concerned may not be amiss in this connection: At the time he was keeping his tavern in the log house, corner of Main and Union streets, James Hamilton (the father of Edward P., William and John Hamilton, who are well known among LIS) carried on the hatting business in a shop on the half lot on the alley back oi tlie Baptist CIiLirch, and as it was customary with hatters in those days to call in some of their friends during the night, while coloring, to partake of a “chicken supper”. On one of these occasions Hamilton invited some of his friends, and among the number “Uncle Thomas”, to take supper with him. “Uncle Thomas” of course accepted the invitation and with the other guests partook of a splendid “chicken supper.” The next morning, when Mrs. Armstrong went to the coop for chickens for breakfast, lo! and behold, they had all “vamoused”. She called “Uncle Thomas” and informed him that some one had stolen all the chickens. “Uncle Thomas” at once suspected that he had the night previous been of the party that devoured the chickens which Mrs. Armstrong had intended for breakfast. He said nothing, but afterwards gave Hamilton a cursing for the trick he had played off on him. David McCormick obtained license to keep tavern in Vevay in September, 1815, and kept his tavern in a part of the house in which George E. Pleasants now resides. In May, 1816, license was granted to Samuel Fallis to keep a tavern in Vevay. The house in which he kept his tavern was a one story brick standing on Main street on the lot on which Charles Thiebaud’s dwelling house now stands and occupied by him at this time, At the same time license was granted to William T. Huff and to Jonas Baldwin to keep a tavern at their respective: houses in Vevay. Huff kept his tavern in a two story build- Dzifoiw: Early Veuay 197 ing which stood at the corner of Ferry and Main streets, where the LeClerc House now stands. Jonas Baldwin kept his tavern in the frame house iiow standing on the corner of Ferry and Market streets, now owned by the widow and heirs of the late Joseph Dalmazzo. To show the amount of taxes levied for the year 1816, and to show the camparisori between them and those of the present day may be a matter of curiosity if nothing more: On every horse, mule or ass above three years old, 26 cents. On first rate land at the rate of 37% cents per 100 acres. On second rate land at the rate of 25 cents per 100 acres. On third rate land at the rate of 12% cents per 100 acres. On stallions at the rate at which they stand by the season. On town lots and houses at the rate of 50 cents per $100 of their value. On George Ash’s ferry, $2.50. On Edward McIntire’s ferry, $2.50. On John Francis Dufour’s feriy, at Vevay, $5. On George Craig’s ferry, $1. On F. Louis Raymond’s ferry on Indian Creek, 50 cents. And the following taxes were levied as road taxes for the year 1816: On Daniel Dufour’s store, $3.00. On Lucien Gex’s store, $3.00. On Isaac Stanley’s store, $3.00. On David McCormick’s store, 50 cents. On Joseph Bentley’s store, 75 cents. On Jonathan Reeder’s store, 75 cents. On James Dalmazzo’s store, 25 cents. The last county court held under the territorial govern- ment was held in February, 1816. On the 10th of February the first meeting of the board of county commissioners, under the state government, was held. What may be said in the coming numbers of this relation in regard to the early settlement of Switzerland county and Vevay will not have so much of the Swiss colonists as of the general settlements-for persons of other nationalities, after the conclusion of the war with Great Britain in 1815, began to settle in the county. Having had much in the former nunibers to mention that related to matters of no seeming importance, let the I?idianu Magazine of History reader remember that these matters are only related with a view of trying in some manner to have them in such a forin that in fifty or more years hence, those who are now boys and girls and will then be men and women may have them so as to relate them to their children and for this reason if no &her, every person subscribing for the Democrat should pre- serve a complete file of the paper.